Beer Meets Food Science at Benchtop Brewing

The Chelsea area of Ghent continues to be a big part of Norfolk’s craft beer boom. Benchtop Brewing Company is the latest addition having been open for about a month now on Boissevain Avenue.

The idea behind Benchtop is to create quality Farmhouse-style beers with unique flavors. The mastermind behind the operation is Eric Tennant who is a food scientist for Smithfield Foods by trade.

Tennant, who studied Food Science at NC State, uses his expertise in his field when it comes to making his brews. Eric also emphasizes using local ingredients, such as oysters in their Mermaid’s Scorn Gose (my recommendation), for the freshest beer possible.

As Benchtop grows, a lot of the beers on the lineup will be rotating as Eric finds the perfect matches. The crew also wants to hear feedback from patrons on which beers they like the best so they can perfect the lineup.